Pickering’s L’artisan more than just another art gallery

PICKERING – Frenchman’s Bay’s Nautical Village is a hidden gem on the shore of Lake Ontario in Pickering. The batten-board facades, reminiscent of a San Francisco streetscape, envelop creative shops, design studios and galleries.

A recent addition to this creative community is L’artisan. The owners, Paul and Janna Lafrance, say they hope their gallery will elevate the status of all artisans whether they work with a brush, a pen or a shovel.

“There’s a stigma that’s attached to people that work with their hands, there’s been so ever since the Industrial Revolution,” says Paul, a deck and renovation master behind HGTV’s Decked Out, Disaster Decks and Custom Built.

“Back in the day, if you were a stonemason or a carpenter, it was just as prestigious as being a doctor or a lawyer. What a plumber does inside a wall to solve problems is brilliance, it’s genius. What a carpenter does, what a stone mason does, what an electrician does. Anyone who creates something out of nothing is an artist.”

The Lafrances are busy multi-talented artists themselves. Not only are they parents of four adolescent daughters, Paul is also a musician and an accomplished photographer, as well as a designer and contractor. Janna is a novelist and pianist.

The idea for the gallery came to Janna after Paul’s design company outgrew the space and moved across the road. The project began with a handful of artists known to the couple who agreed to contribute their time to set up the space and display their art last fall.

It was not long before other artists heard the word and asked to be a part of L’artisan.

Janna says they want the gallery to remain true to their ideals, and make sure everything that comes in meshes with their own philosophy.

“We wanted to protect the integrity and feel of this store into something that’s life-giving,” says Janna. “So when people walk through they’ll feel a sense of peace, a sense of hope.”

The display can be described as an eclectic mix of original artwork. Every piece tells a story of a place or a piece of the artist’s experience. Paul and Janna know each of their exhibitors personally and can guide you through the stories behind each piece.

Traditional paintings on canvas adorn the walls, but Steve Neuhof re-invents ancient gnarled tree stumps from the West Coast into wine bottle holders, which are sure to be a talking point at your next dinner party. Continuing on the wood theme, lightning-force electricity volts scar polished charcuterie boards with unique branch-like designs by Daniel Kneblewski. Windswept metal-worked trees grasp onto rocks lifted from the shores of Georgian Bay, as though they have been extracted from a Group of Seven masterpiece, by Lindsay Crusie.

“People need to know when they’re coming into L’artisan they’re entering a story,” says Paul. “We want them to have a different experience every time they come to the store. Everything from scented candles to music, wine and wine glass holders that go on the wall to canned goods, to pottery, to essential oils to customized jewellery to wood-turned creations, pens, bath and body products and leather goods.”

The basement gallery houses Paul’s photographic work. Many of the pieces feature black and white images from a recent trip to Venice, highlighted with hints of earth colours for dramatic effect.

Paul and Janna hope the gallery will inspire visitors to appreciate the talent and creativity that goes into original artwork and consider a purchase as an investment into something more. Paul cites an impending trades crisis where he projects that by 2020 the country will be a million tradespeople short.

Erin O’Toole, MP for Durham and Conservative leadership candidate (Right), talks with Bob Prentice at the town hall meeting at The Venue, Peterborough.

Premier Kathleen Wynne speaks to DC Early Childhood Education students at DC during her tour of post secondary colleges.

Ron Lambert stands in front of his exhibit,Tribute 2016, which he painted to celebrate the summer of ’47 with his friends in Provincetown, Mass. Photo by Barbara Howe

Joanne Shaw play guitar at Simcoe Blues and Jazz in Oshawa. Photo by Barbara Howe.

Mackenzie Bailey and David Feenstra at the FIRST Lego League provincial championships at Durham College. Photo by Barbara Howe

Beth Hawkins from Oshawa concentrates on her painting skills at the Paint and Palate evening at Bistro 67.

Three-year-old Bennett Fraser from Whitby enjoys his bread roll between mouthfuls of soup at the Feed the Need in Durham Empty Bowls event. Photo by Barbara Howe

Former Chief Justice,Ian Binnie at UOIT. Photo by Barbara Howe

Twins Maryam and Nivaal Rehman Grade 10 students from Sinclair High School, Whitby attended WE Day while shooting video for their YouTube channel “The Worrld With MNR.”
Photo by Barbara Howe

BROOKLIN, Ont. (22/11/2015) – Fr. Charles attending to some of the administative duties. This includes a fundraising campaigne for the parish and the diocese. Photo by Barbara Howe, Durham College, Oshawa

Places

Manchester town hall. Photo by Barbara Howe

View of Reykjavik, Iceland. Photo by Barbara Howe

Le Morne Beach, Mauritius.

Oshawa Courthouse. Photo by Barbara Howe

Yorkshire Dales Walk. Photo by Barbara Howe

Tucepi marina. Photo by Barbara Howe

View of Reykjavik, Iceland. Photo by Barbara Howe

BROOKLIN, Ont. (20/11/2015) – Fr. Charles Forget is the parish priest at the church of St. Leo the Great on Watford Strret. Photo by Barbara Howe, Durham College, Oshawa